The Dragon's Commitment
by James of Vale
Summary: Ryuuji and Taiga had just returned from their act of "Elopement" And Taiga came to the conclusion that she must leave to better herself, so that she can one day return the love that Ryuuji has shown her. She felt that she isn't capable of providing that and vowed to change. The sudden departure however left Ryuuji in a state of sadness and confusion. Will he pull through?


Author's note: Hello everyone! Its been a while since I've decided to write another Toradora fic, let alone fanfics in general. I present to you my next piece in a long overdue story. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

_The Dragon's Commitment_

Chapter one: Space and Time

"_Ryuuji, you know…I always believed that no one would ever love me. Then again, I was probably just running away." _Taiga said to herself as she sat alone in her empty apartment, dwelling on the events from the past few nights. She sighed softly and walked outside her screen door and stepped onto her balcony. Leaning back, she gazed upon the night sky. "Can't see any stars…" She muttered. In that moment, she caught a glimpse of a small and faint glint of a single star. "Its tiny…useless and helpless, like me…" as she took out her phone to snap a picture of what she saw. "_I blamed my parents and circumstances for my lack of confidence. But Ryuuji, you loved me for who I am."_ She went back inside and made a decision. She went and packed up what was left of her belongings and stepped outside into the cold night. "_That's why…I won't run away anymore. I'll change…I'll accept who I am…and learn to be proud of that I can give you my love."_ With that, she looked back one last time before stepping off into the darkness.

Ryuuji had wondered why it took so long for Taiga to return from her apartment, as they have agreed that they would all settle down on the dining table and have dinner as a family. He put on his winter coat and walked over to her apartment. Ringing the door bell, he didn't get a response. Moments later of waiting, he was rather surprised that the door was unlocked. Stepping inside, he found no trace of her. Calling out into the dark apartment, only to have silence greet him. He wondered why she isn't around when something pink caught his attention. It was a small, delicate, handwritten note sitting on her dining table. He also found that his red scarf, which she had cherished, was draped against the dining chair. He walked over and picked up the note and read its contents. The color from his face drained as he felt a profound sadness and disappointment surged through him, as he slightly crumpled the note and looked out the window, at the dark and endless sky.

Some time later, news that Taiga had transferred and left has spread throughout the school. The overall reaction from the class that she was part of was shock and concern. Some individuals were particularly affected by the shock, for some very obvious reasons.

Somewhere in the halls on the day the news of her departure were none other than Ryuuji, being confronted by his friends. Especially Minori, who was furious on why things didn't go the way she had imagined, that what she has hoped for when she decided to forgo her own feelings and support the pair that is Ryuuji and Taiga turned astray. Slapping him out of anger, she demanded to hear the reason why things didn't go well, as if thinking he has done something wrong.

"I didn't…I didn't want her to leave." Ryuuji muttered weakly, his lips quivering as his emotions struggled to bubble to the surface. "If I could bring her back, I would! I don't know why she decided on this without me…" He muttered as he tried to fight back the tears. He clenched his fist as he then said, "But…She trusts me. So for now…all I can do is accept it." He said with a saddened but strong conviction and turned away from his friends and walked down the hall.

A week has passed since and following Taiga's sudden picture that she sent to everyone, the class had decided on taking a group photo with Ryuuji at the center of it, holding onto a prized star as a response to the image that she had sent everyone. Most of them had understood, at least partly, why Taiga had decided to leave, but most importantly, Ryuuji understood her reasons the most.

Later that day, he walked outside by where he first mentioned to Taiga, all those months ago. Those words, as corny and silly sounding as it is, became the cornerstone of their commitment and strength. "_I am a dragon, you are a tiger. Tigers and dragons have long since been revered as equals."_ Ryuuji thought to himself as he looked up at the sky. "_So it doesn't matter…that you aren't here with me now. I'll transcend space and time…to always be by your side. Therefore, my feelings for you…will never change._" With this, he walked on, albeit a bit depressed and saddened still, he took comfort in this conviction of his.

The next day, Ryuuji woke up and felt his mind wander. He thought about Taiga. He felt like there's not one moment where he didn't catch himself thinking about her. The burning curiosity that plagued him into why she had chosen to leave suddenly. Although he kind of grasped her reasoning into why she had to leave, he still can't help but feel plagued by the unanswered questions. His mind trailed to all the memories that he had with her. They replayed in his mind over and over in such clear and burning detail. All the good things, the bad things, the challenging times, the happiest times, they all played through his mind like a tape on loop.

He felt like crying, he felt like giving up, he felt despair as to why she would leave, to give up on the dream that they had shared. He felt all those things that would make any lesser person throw themselves in defeat. He felt all those and more. He pondered why he should continue to let himself be brought down by those thoughts, ever eating away at his heart and confidence.

Ryuuji sighed and smiled in a bittersweet way. "_Why do I get up every morning? Is it worth it to wait?"_ He thought. He also thought about the words he thought to himself the day before. And that's when it gave him the strength and conviction to press on. It pains him as he continues to accept the reality with each passing moment. It became clear that at this current moment, he felt helpless, almost hopeless even. He thought about how at this moment, he can't share the burden that she is carrying. He can't lend the help that he wanted to give, as simply put, she didn't want to burden him with her own struggles. Feeling loss, he grasped and wrestled with the thought that at this current moment, he won't be able to hear from her. He won't be able to hear her voice, to see her face, how sweet it is when she finally smiled from the heart. He had come to realize that she is the most cherished person in the world to him, now more than ever.

He thought about the words of encouragement that he said to himself. That oath, that glimpse of the hope that is the future where they will be together again. He relented and smiled a little bit more happily as he managed to subdue his negative thoughts, and his pain, at least for the time being. Standing up from bed, he went to get ready and prepped for the day. "_The journey will be long and hard. But I'm sure as long as I keep this hope alive in my heart, someday…just someday…"_ He thought as he wrapped his scarf around his neck and exited his home.

**A/N: And that is the end of the current chapter. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I was when I was writing this. As you may have seen, this story revolves around the daily struggles and challenges during that period where Ryuuji has to come to terms with this new reality of his. I felt inspired to cover this aspect of his life as it reflects my own life and its recent setbacks. Follow me and Ryuuji as we discover just what he must face as the days go by. Thanks for reading and if you liked it, please leave a like and a review! ~James of Vale**


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